Separable fasteners



Dec.3o,195s G. WALDES 2,866,246

SEPARABLE FASTENERS Filed June l2, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

2O f yF/G. 5 2/0 INVENTQR lGEDRGE WALDES DCC 30, 1958 G. wALDEs 2,866,246

SEPARABLE: FAsTENERs Filed June 12, 1957 4 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR 56a 30 3661 GEoRGE wALDEs BY l ATTORNEY Dec. 30, 1958 G. WALDES 2,866,246

SEPARABLE FASTENERS Filed June l2, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR GEORGE WALDES Dec. 30, 1958 G, WALDES SEPARABLE FASTENERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June l2, 1957 FIG..

FIG.

A YAYAYAVLE m FIG.

INVENToR GEORGE WALDES ATTO NEY Vsnranmsrn FASTENERS George Waldes, Plandome, N. Y., assignor to Waldes Kolrinoor, inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 12,1957, Serial No. 665,203

's claims. (ci. 24-226) This invention relates to improvements in separable fasteners, and more particularly to a modified hook-andeye type separable fastener designed and especially adapted for use as a closure for the waistband opening of garments such as trousers, skirts and the like, but it will be understood that the fastener of the invention is not limited to this particular application.

The conventional hook-and-eye fastener applied as the closure for the opening of a garment which is dry-cleaned and/or laundered is open to the objection that the hook component of the fastener is likely to be flattened or otherwise deformed in the ironing process, sometimes to the extent of making it difficult if not wholly impossible to engage the hook `and eye components of the fastener. A main object of the present invention', therefore, is the provision o-f a separable hook-and-eye type garment fastener which avoids the aforesaid disadvantage of the prior hook-and-eye fastener, yand which, in addition, is easy to open and close and is moreover secure against accidental opening.

More particularly, an object o-f the invention is the provision of a modified hook-and-eye type garment fastener featured by both the hook and eye components of the fastener being fashioned from sheet metal and by the working parts of both said hook'and eye components being simply struck out from initially plane sheet .metal body parts.

A further object of the inventio-n is the provision of a highly effective hook member for a modified hook-andeye closure fastener, whose design and construction are Y such as enables it to be simply manufactured from a substantially rectangular plate-form body member of sheet metal, and whose working or hook element, rather than conforming -to conventional hook construction, linstead consists of a rectangular sheet metal head part struck from and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to that of said body `member and being connected thereto at its opposite, i. e. front and rear, edges by two narrow-width webs which are oppositely inclined from the plane'of said body so that they merge into the plane of the head part, said webs thereby strongly and firmly supporting the head part against giving way or attening against forces applied normal thereto in the garment ironing process.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an effective eye member for a modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener, which may be simply fashioned from an initially plate-form rectangular body of sheet metal, and which is characterized by a rectangular frame or body portion and an elevated portion pressed therefrom and connected thereto alo-ng three sides and being provided with a slot having width substantially equal to the width of the aforesaid webs which connect the head part of the modified hook member to the body member thereof, the fourth side bounding said elevated portion being lleft open so as to provide for passage of said head part of the hook member into the three-sided shallow en'clo-V `sure formed by said elevated portion.

Yetanother object of the invention is the provision of rates arent' 2,866,246 Patented Dec. 30, 1958 fice a-modifiedhook-and-eye type closure fastenerffor garment openings characterized by sheet metal construction* throughout, wherein the working part of the hook member Iof the fastener comprises a substantially rectangular planar partfwhich is struck from the initially rectangular body partof said member Iand is connected to said body vpart by oppo-sitely inclined, narrow-width Webs or bridges, `and wherein the eye member comprises a frame-like body part of generally rectangular shape and a pressed-out gen- Ierally rectangular portion, which together define a shallow enclosure open at one side and provided with a slot yextending inwardly fro-m said open side for accommodating the webs of said hook'member as the head part thereof moves into'said enclosure, an'd wherein at least one of said fastenermembers is provided with means protecting the fastener against accidental opening following closing thereof by simple engagement of the 'hook with the eye member.

The above andother objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof, inwhich reference is had to the accompanying drawingsillustrative of a preferred and various modified forms -which `the hook and eye members laccording lto the invention may take, in which- Fig. l is a perspective View of a separable hook-andeye type vfastener according tothe invention sho-wn to be applied Ato overlapping portions of a garment defining anfopening therein;

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and top-edge views, respectively, o-f the hook member of a modified hook-and-eye fastener according-to the invention prior to its being secured to `the garment;

;Fig.\4 is a plan view, and Fig. 5 Vis a section on' line 5*-5 thereof illustrating one simple form of yattaching strap for securing each of the hook and eye members to the garment;

Fig. 6 isa front edge view of a variant form of hook member;

Figs. 7 and I8 are plan and front-edge views, respectively, of oneform o-f eye or keeper member of the herein proposed'fastener;

Figs. 9, ;10 and l-l are plan, bottom-edge and frontledge views, respectively, of a modified form of eye or keepermember o-f the invention;

yFigs. 12, 11'3 and '14 are generally similar views illustrating a modified form of eye or keeper member;

:FigsplS and 16, respectively, are sections taken through the preferred hook and eye members of the invention rjust-'prior to and following their engagement one to the other;

Fig. 'l`7 is a section similar to Fig. 16'but taken through an engaged or closed fastener employing the variant hook member asshown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 18 is a similar section through an engaged fastener vwhich employs the embodiment of eye or keeper shown in Figs. 12-14.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l shows in perspective -the general relation of the separable fastener members hook -and leye members are of sheet metal construction throughout, the hook member comprising a generally rectangular, planar body part 12 and a smaller working part-or head V13,, also .planar and generally rectangular,

which is struck out from and is disposed more or less parallel to said body part 12, being connected thereto along its opposite sides by relatively narrow webs 14, which are also struck out from the body part and are oppositely inclined to one another according to the difference in elevation of said body part 12 and head part 13. It will be seen from Fig. 2 that said webs connect to the head part 13 intermediate its upper and lower end portions 13a, 13b and accordingly said portions serve as what may be termed sheet-form tongues or bills which extend in both upward and downward direction from the connected middle portion of said head part. It will be manifest that because of the inclination and integral nature of the webs 14, 15 the head part 13 as a whole and the tongues 13a, 13b thereof are strongly supported and hence said tongues in particular are able to resist ironing pressure without being bent from or deformed out of their initial spacing and relation with respect to the flat body part 12 of the hook member.

Illustratively, said body part 12 of the hook member is provided along its two opposite side edges with pointed attaching prongs 18a, 18b which are adapted to pierce the material of the garment and thereupon to be bent over into clinching engagement therewith. Preferably, rather than being clinched directly to the garment material, the prongs 18a, 18b are, for security of attachment, clinched to a metal attaching strap 20 (Figs. 4 and 5) which is shown to be formed with an elongate prong-receiving channel, to which the prongs have access through prong openings 21a, 2lb provided at the ends of the channel. The manner in which the attaching strap 20 serves to secure the clinched or bent-over ends of the prongs 18a, 18b is shown in Fig. l5 and succeeding gures.

A preferred form of the fastener eye member 11 is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 wherein reference numeral 30 designates a at frame-like body part, and reference numeral 31 an elevated plate-like portion integrally connected therewith along three of its sides, i. e. top, bottom and forward sides by inclined connecting walls 32a, 32b, 32C. The fourth or rearward side is left open so as to provide an opening 33 (Fig. 8) to the shallow enclosure provided by said elevated portion 31 and the inclined side or connecting walls 32a, 32b, 32e. Since said shallow enclosure is designed to receive the head 13 of the hook member, both said enclosure and the opening to same are appropriately dimensioned so as to receive said head 13 with suitable clearance making for easy engagement of the parts. To accommodate for the webs 14, 15 of the hook member during closing of the fastener, i. e. in passing the head part 13 of the hook member through the opening 33 to a position in which it underlies the elevated central portion 31 of the eye member (see Fig. 16. for example), said elevated central portion 31 is provided with a slot 35 which extends relatively horizontally from the opening 33 in the direction of the blind end of the aforesaid shallow enclosure as defined by the closed side wall 32b, Preferably, the width of the slot 35 at its closed end is slightly greater than the width of the web 14 or 15 which is first to enter said slot, which may be taken as the leftward web 14 (Fig. 2). The other or entrance end of said slot 35 is preferably shaped as a wide mouth 35a defined by converging slot edges which serve initially to guide the web 14 into the slot 35.

Preferably, a fastener eye member as described is provided with attaching prongs 36a, 36h (corresponding to the aforesaid prongs 18a, 18b of the hook member 10) which are adapted to pierce the material of the garment and thereupon to be clinched to a metallic attaching strap corresponding in all essential respects to the aforesaid vattaching strap 20 described in connection with Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 15 and 16, a fastener consisting of the hook-and-eye parts 10 and 11 as aforesaid is adapted to be closed by the simple operation of moving ,the hook member 10 over and past the keye member 11 to a position in which the head part 13 of the hook 10 is horizontally alinged with the opening 33 of the eye member, as is generally illustrated in Fig. l5, and thereupon drawing said hook-and-eye parts relatively together, as effects entry of the head part 13 of the hook member into the enclosure of the eye member as defined by the elevated central portion 31 and the side walls 32a, 3 2b, 32e thereof. It will of course be understood that during such movement of head part 13 into the eye enclosure, the webs 14, 15 which space the head part 13 from the body part 12 of the hook member are accommodated 1n the slot 35 of the eye member. Upon final closing of the fastener, it will be seen that the oppositely extending upper and lower tongues or bill portions 13a, 13b of the hook part are securely held against movement in three directions within the corresponding portions of the eye enclosure within which they t. However, the fastener may be readily opened by the simple operation of 1mparting relative separating movement to said fastener parts, as results in the head part 13 of the hook member retracting through the opening 33 of the eye member.

The invention also provides various means for resisting ready separation of the hook member from the eye member as aforesaid, to the end that accidental or unintentlonal separation of said fastener members is positively precluded. Referring to Fig. 6, illustrating one such means incorporated into the hook member of the fastener, 1t will be seen that the head part 43 of a modified hook member 40, rather than being parallel to the body part 42 thereof, is instead inclined to said body part by an angle such that, whereas its front side edge is spaced from its body part 42 a distance in excess of the thickness of the elevated central portion 31 of the eye member, the other or rear side edge of said head part 43 is spaced from the body part 42 a distance which is slightly less than the thickness of said elevated portion 31. Accordingly, when a fastener employing the modified hook part 40 according to Fig. 6 is closed as in Fig. 17, the rear side edge of the head part 43 tends to bind against the under surface of the elevated portion 31 of the eye member, thereby frictionally resisting separation or opening of the fastener parts.

Referring to Figs. 9, 10 and l1, illustrating yet another means for retarding free opening of the fastener which in this instance is incorporated into the eye member 11, it

will be seen that the slot 45 in the elevated portion 31 of the eye member, rather than being formed with straight side edges and thereby uniform width throughout the greater part of its length, as is the corresponding slot 35 as shown in Fig. 7, is narrowed at points 46a, 46b intermediate its open and blind ends, such narrowing resulting in the effective width of the slot being made slightly less than the width of at least the tirst-to-enter web 14 of the hook member 10. Accordingly, when the fastener is fully closed, the narrowed points 46a, 46b in the slot edges exercise a holding effect on said web 14 which prevents same from being freely retracted from the slot, with the desirable result that the fastener is normally maintained closed and it is not readily opened.

Yet another form of means for preventing accidental or unintentional separation of the fastener parts is shown in Figs. 12-14, illustrating an eye member corresponding generally to the eye member illustrated in Fig. 7, with the difference that the elevated central portion 31 thereof is provided adjacent the opening 33 to the aforesaid eye enclosure with a pair of dimples 48a, 48b whose under surfaces or points extend into and thereby lessen the depth of the eye enclosure adjacent the open side 33 thereof. By design, the dimples are sunk into said elevated portion 31 to an extent that the depth of the enclosure is slightly less than the thickness of the head part 13 of the hook member 10. Thus, referring to Fig. 18, upon closing of the fastener by movement of the head part 13 of the hook member into the eye enclosure, the pnder points of the dimples 48g, .48b extend relatively in back of the first-toleave side edge of said head part 13 and thereby act as stops which retard free separating movement of said head part from the eye enclosure.

Without further analysis it will be appreciated that a modified hook-and-eye type separable fastener according to the invention ably overcomes the objection to the conventional hook-and-eye fastener applied as the closure for garments which are subjected to ironing, by providing not only a head part whose construction is such as renders it able in large measure to withstand substantial ironing pressures, but also one that is effectively supported and buttressed from opposite sides by inclined webs which connect the head to the flat body part of the fastener hook member. In addition, a fastener of the invention is at least as easy to close as is the conventional hook-andeye fasteners and it may also be provided with simple but effective means as described for protecting the fastener against accidental or unintentional opening.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained inv the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener comprising sheet metal hook and eye members, the hook member comprising a plane body part and a smaller plane head part struck out from and being disposed out of the plane of said body part and being connected thereto along a pair of its opposite edges by relatively narrow Webs which slope in opposite directions from said opposite edges of said head part to said body part, the unconnected opposite edge portions of said head part providing oppositely projecting sheet-form tongues, the eye member comprising a frame-like body part and an elevated central portion pressed out from and integrally connected to said frame part along three of its sides, the elevated portion forming a shallow enclosure having dimensions substantially similar to those of the head part of the hook member and being open along its fourth side thereby to permit bodily movement of' said head part into said enclosure, said elevated portion of the eye member having a slot therein which extends forwardly from said open side and has width substantially equal to the width of the aforesaid webs for accommodating said webs during movement of said head into the eye enclosure, the construction and arrangement being such that, upon said head part moving into the eye enclosure, the upper and lower tongue portions thereof hookably engage with the elevated portion of the eye member.

2. A modied hook-and-eye type closure fastener as set forth in claim l, wherein one of said hook-and-eye members is provided with means for resisting free separation of said fastener members after they have been engaged to close the fastener.

3. A modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of said hook-and-eye members is provided with means for obstructing closing of the fastener member and which thereupon becomes effective to resist opening of said members.

4. A modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener as set forth in claim 1, wherein the head part of the hook member is inclined to the body part of said member in direction and extent such that its edge portion last to enter the slot of the eye member is spaced from the body part of said hook member a distance less than the thickness of the elevated portion of the eye member.

5. A modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener as set forth in claim l, wherein the slot in the elevated portion of the eye member is narrowed intermediate its ends to a width which is slightly less than the width of at least the rst web to enter the slot in closing of the fastener.

6. A modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elevated central portion of the eye member is provided with dimples extending into the eye enclo-sure and which are located adjacent the opening to said enclosure, the under surfaces of said dimples narrowing the depth of said enclosure to the side of the head part of the hook member which is disposed adjacent said opening.

7. In a modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener, a hook member made from sheet metal comprising a plane body and a smaller head part struck out from and being disposed out of the plane of said body part and being connected thereto intermediate its top and bottom ends by relatively narrow webs which slope from the opposite side edges of said head part to said body part, the upper and lower end portions of said head part providing oppositely projecting sheet-form tongues with function as hook bills.

8. A hook member for a modified hook-and-eye type closure fastener as set forth in claim 7, wherein said head part is disposed parallel to said body part.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 662,676 Maynz Nov. 27, 1900 2,176,960 Fridolph Oct. 24, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 490,121 Great Britain Aug. 9, 1938 

